The pass was an improvement from Coughlin's opening run of 6.669 at
206.67 mph, which had slotted him third, but a little tire shake at the
hit of the throttle in the cooler and better second session robbed him
of a better elapsed time.

"We started strong and were No. 3 on the qualifying sheets," Coughlin
said. "And we were excited because we felt like that run had plenty of
room for improvement. We came back in the evening and probably went a
little over center with the tune-up and just didn't turn in the pass we
were hoping for.

"Dropping from third to ninth was a bit of a disappointment but the good
news is we have two sessions tomorrow where we can improve and that's
exactly what we plan on doing. At least we know our limits with this
track."

This weekend's event marks the second to last race before the NHRA
playoffs begin. Coughlin already qualified for the Countdown to 1 but
would love to improve his slotting if at all possible. Currently, he's
fourth overall.

The top-10 racers at the conclusion of the 54th annual U.S. Nationals in
two weeks will be eligible for this year's championship. The rankings
will be reset at that time with each of the eligible drivers separated
by 10 points each, except for the No. 1 qualifier, who will receive a
20-point bonus.

"We all saw last year how every point meant so much so if we can make
up even one more spot before the playoffs begin, it will be fantastic,"
said Coughlin, the 1999 champion of the Reading event. "Our car's
running great right now. We just need to clean it up a little tomorrow
and we'll be ready for race day.

"This is the exciting time of the year for all of us and the guys are
really feeling it. Everyone is getting pumped up and we're ready to get
after it once the playoffs start. But right now we need to focus on
achieving the best starting position we can earn, and that quest will
start Sunday right here at Maple Grove Raceway."